


Waterfalling in Love

by captainswanandclintasha



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan AU - Freeform, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 02:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12159768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainswanandclintasha/pseuds/captainswanandclintasha
Summary: Emma Swan goes on a trip with her friends but she finds out she has to share the room with the guy she likes.





	Waterfalling in Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PhiraLovesLoki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhiraLovesLoki/gifts).



> This story is a gift for the amazing phiralovesloki, whose birthday is today (September 22)!

When their group decided to go on a trip during the Spring Break, no one had thought about how they were organize the room sharing. They were five women and three men, so it was going to be a bit harder for them to decide, but no one had really cared about that, at least not six months before the actual trip. But things aren’t always how we might want them to be, and over the six months some couples had formed between their group of friends. Out of Emma, Mary Margaret, Ruby, Regina, Dorothy, David, Killian and Robin, things had evolved between Mary Margaret and David, and between Regina and Robin, leaving Ruby, Dorothy, Emma and Killian alone. Emma hadn’t thought too much about it at the beginning, but now, 12 hours before they left for Vermont, she had started to think about who would be her roommate.

 

“Stop fretting, Emma,” Ruby said when Emma told her about her worries. “Me and Dorothy can share a room with you as long as there is enough space for the three of us.”

 

“Are you sure?” Emma asked, since she knew very well that Ruby had a crush on Dorothy.

 

“Of course!” Ruby said with a wink and a big smile, “We are going to have a girl’s night in that room!” 

 

“Okay and what about the rest of the week?” Emma asked.

 

They were supposed to spend their week  in Vermont at a beautiful inn and during the day make small trips to visit a few cities and places. Mary Margaret had even made a list with all the places they could visit, but all Emma cared about was Niagara Falls. 

 

“What about them?”

 

“Ruby I know you want to use this trip as an excuse to get closer to Dorothy. I don’t want to get in your way.”

 

“Emma. If there is something going to happen between me and Dorothy, then I guess they will have single rooms for you, but for for now you don’t have to worry about it, I’m sure Dorothy will agree with me. Besides which, you are my best friend, I can’t leave you alone,” Ruby explained. 

 

Emma had to admit that she had a good point. 

 

“Anyway, with both Robin and David having partners, Killian is going to be alone too. You could always sleep with him,” Ruby said with a mischievous grin.

 

“No way,” Emma denied quickly.

 

“Oh come on. Why?” 

 

Emma  scowled  at Ruby annoyed. Her roommate knew very well why Emma didn’t want to share a room with Killian and she was enjoying this more than it should.

 

“Ah, yes, I suppose it’s because because you have a very big crush on him!” Ruby yelled.

 

“Ruby!” Emma snapped at her friend to make her shut up, starting to feel her cheeks burning her face. 

 

“Don’t even try to deny it,” Ruby said, before Emma could try to say more. 

 

“I… don’t,” Emma said with a small voice, knowing very well that she couldn’t do it. 

 

“Good,” Ruby said with a smile, and then went out of the living room and back to her own room, without another word. “Oh, by the way!” Emma heard Ruby yelling from the other room. “I know for sure Killian will be totally okay with you two sharing a room!”

 

Emma fell on the sofa with a thump and covered her face with a pillow. There was no point in trying to deny anything. Ruby was right. Emma had had a big crush on Killian Jones since the first moment they met. They had clicked in an instant on their first day of uni and they had became friends very quickly. 

 

She could say that she started to develop a crush on him because he was good looking, but she soon realised that wasn't the only reason. She could also say it was because of the way he spoke to her, the gentle and carrying tone of his voice, the softness in his eyes, the fact that he always made sure to encourage her when she was a being a pessimist. Also he tried, more than once, to invite her to different things, a coffee after school, a study ‘date’ during the exam periods, a concert here and there, but they had never been alone at these things. Someone else always heard them making plans and wanted to join them. They even texted each other constantly about the most random things in the world that over time it became their thing. So yes, she could say that it was his fault. But in reality, it wasn’t just his fault. It Emma’s fault as well, that she had fallen for him. 

 

She didn’t tell him though, mostly because she was too afraid to lose him as a friend. Beside which, she had heard him more than once talking with David and Robin about a certain girl he liked. She didn’t know who the girl was but apparently Killian really liked her. So Emma decided that she should stay away and save her friendship with him instead of telling him about her feelings and losing him as a friend, or, even worse, hear him telling her about how he is in love with someone else. 

 

_______

 

The next day they crowded into Killian's father's old van to begin the trip that they hoped would bring  them closer and help them relax before acing another three more months of school. As they drove, they didn’t stop laughing once. They were telling jokes, they were taking photos, and at one point Ruby and Dorothy started to sing along with the radio and the boys joined in. It was the beginning of a great trip with her friends and Emma couldn’t be happier. They stopped on a few “must see” points along the road that were on Mary Margaret’s list, to take photos and visit the places as they continued on their road to Vermont. 

 

The first bad news come later that day though, when they finally arrived at the famous Vermont Inn. Emma liked the way the inn looked from the outside, it had a big garden in front of it and a very rustic, old-fashioned look. It would have been perfect if the lady from the reception hadn’t  told them that they didn't have enough space in the room for Emma to stay with Ruby and Dorothy.

 

“We are very sorry but we don’t have enough room for three people to stay in a room for two,” the receptionist told her with an apologetic smile.

 

“But you must have single rooms, right?” Emma asked hoping that at least she would be able to have a room to herself.

 

“We do...” the receptionist began, but failing to complete her sentence.

 

“But?” Emma insisted, determined to make her finish what she had to say. 

 

“But not right now,” the girl finished, her cheeks starting to turn red. 

 

Emma started to turn red too, but because she was furious, not embarrassed. She couldn’t believe that she would have to pay for a room for two by herself. After all, the rooms were already pretty expensive.

 

“Swan? A word?” Killian said, coming to stand in front of her.

 

“Yeah, what is it?” she asked him.

 

“I think we both have a problem here. You don’t have anyone to share a room with and I have the same issue. I was thinking maybe we could share a room for tonight and then change tomorrow if they have any single rooms free?” he said, and she could see that he was nervous as he started to scratch behind his ear.

 

Emma was shocked by his proposal. He wanted to share the room with her and she didn’t know what to say. Could she do that? Share a room with the guy she liked and not do something stupid? It was only for one night, tomorrow they could try to see again if they could get single rooms. She wouldn’t die from having to spend one night in the same room as him, right? But what if she talked in her sleep? Ruby had once told her that she talked in her sleep, so what if it happened again? And this time she could say something embarrassing, or even something about him? 

 

She looked at him and his face fell, that’s when she realized that she hadn’t said anything to him. 

 

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay,” Killian said. “I just thought that maybe we could save some money, but it’s okay if-” but Killian didn’t get chance to finish before she started to talk.

 

“Ok, yeah, we would save some money if we shared the room,” Emma said, trying to smile.

 

Killian nodded at her and together they went to the reception to get the room. She looked around the reception and saw that their other friends were nowhere to be seen.

 

“They left as we were talking,” Killian told her, probably knowing who she was looking for. 

 

They waited for the room to be ready and when the receptionist gave her the key to the room she smiled apologetically at her once more. 

 

“Will you please let us know if there will be single rooms available tomorrow?” Emma asked the girl.

 

“Of course, Miss Swan,” the girl answered.

 

Emma and Killian took their luggage and started to walk in silence towards the room. When they arrived in front of room number 305, she opened the door to the room and stepped inside. The room looked nice, the bathroom was on her right, they had a big TV and she could see the mountains from outside. 

 

Then she had the second shock of the day. There was only one bed. 

 

“It’s only got one bed,” she said out loud without thinking. 

 

“Wait,” Killian said from behind her and then walked towards the bed. 

 

He pulled away the big duvet that was covering the bed and two single beds joined appeared. Emma let out a deep breath she didn’t realise she was holding as Killian turned to her with a smile. 

 

“Better?” he said with a grin.

 

“Shut up. I didn’t want to make you sleep on the floor,” she said, trying to ease the tension in the air between them, although a voice in her head was whispering to her that she wouldn't have made him sleep on the floor if there was indeed only one bed.

 

“For you, love? I would do it with pleasure,” he said, making Emma shiver with his words. 

 

Emma opened her mouth to say something but the words didn’t come out. Killian was still looking at her, waiting for an answer most likely, but her words refused to come. Fortunately, his phone started to ring and he had to answer. 

 

“David?” Killian  said, turning away from her as he spoke into the phone. . 

 

Emma took advantage of the opportunity to run towards the bathroom. She closed the door and sat on the toilet seat to take a few deep breaths. She didn’t know how she was going to survive the night if Killian continued with those little comments. She was used to his innuendos, he lived for them and for flirting but she never got the chance to be alone with him as he flirted. He always did it while their other friends were there and usually after a few glasses of rum. 

 

She decided that if she was going to survive the night, she needed to stay out long enough to tire herself so that when she was coming back to the room, she would fall asleep in a second. 

 

“Emma?” Killian asked,  knocking at the bathroom door. 

 

“Yeah, I’m coming back,” Emma said as she opened the door. “Has something happened?”

 

“David said Mary Margaret wanted to go out to eat and they asked all of us if we want to go with them. Do you want to?”

 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” 

 

Emma took her backpack and her phone and exited the room with Killian close behind her. They met with the others at the reception and together they went into town.

 

The group spent the next few hours in town, walking around and having dinner. When it started to get dark outside, they decided to go to a pub close to the inn and have some drinks and maybe dance a little. 

 

Emma tried her best to not think about the moment they would have to go back and she would have to get ready for bed with Killian in the same room. She was searching her memory to see if she had packed a good pair of pyjamas, but all she could remember was a pair of long pink and white pants and a white, transparent t-shirt. She cursed herself for not packing something else, but in her defense she had no idea that she was going to spend the night with him in the same room. 

 

Thinking about her situation for the night and sleeping garments made Emma’s mind fly to sinful places. Things she didn’t want to think about came into her mind and she forced herself to remember that he was in love with someone else. 

 

Then her mind flew again starting with the questions. Why did he ask her to share the room with him if he was in love with someone else? She knew he hadn’t lied earlier when he said that he was thinking about saving them some money for the rest of the trip, but she also knew that wasn’t the whole truth. There was something more than that, something he hadn’t told her. But then again, maybe he just wanted to be a good friend and not leave her to sleep alone in a double room. 

 

Her head felt like it was going to explode from so many thoughts at once so she finished her drink and then went to Killian to tell him that she was going back to the inn. She hoped he would decide to stay longer with the rest of their friends and she would be long asleep when he came back. 

 

“Hey, Killian,” she said, interrupting his intense discussion with Robin and David. Killian turned to her and his smile made Emma’s heart jump. 

 

“Love. Did something happen?”

 

“I feel like my head is going to explode so I’m going to go back to the inn and try to get some  sleep.”

 

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just a headache,” she said, trying to calm his fears.

 

“I’m coming with you.”

 

“No, no, it’s okay, you can stay.”

 

“No Emma. I’m coming with you,” he said firmly, not leaving her any room for protests.

 

“Okay, fine,” she agreed with a sigh.

 

They said goodbye to their friends (Emma trying to ignore the mischievous grin Ruby had on her face when she found out that Emma and Killian were leaving together) and then left the pub. On the way to the inn no one said anything, they just walked in silence and Emma was thankful for that. 

 

When they arrived in their room, she went to her suitcase, got her clothes and locked herself in the bathroom without another word. From the bathroom she heard Killian moving in the room and she wished she were alone so that she could have some time for herself, but Killian was there, most likely waiting for her to get out of the bathroom, so he could take a shower as well.

 

After a quick shower she dressed in the pyjamas she had (pink pants, transparent t-shirt, shit), braided her hair in a single braid on one side, took her things and left the bathroom. Killian was on the bed and when she get out he looked at her with worry in his eyes.

 

“How are you feeling?” Killian asked.

 

“Same. My head hurts,” Emma said putting her clothes back in the suitcase and then taking her phone and sitting on the bed.

 

Killian turned in the bed so he could look at her..

 

“Do you need anything?” he asked her.

 

“No. It might be because I’m too tired,” she said with a small smile.

 

“I will let you sleep,” Killian said rising from the bed.

 

“Where are you going?” she asked, amazed by the fact that he looked ready to leave the room.

 

“Outside to take a walk and let you fall asleep in silence,” he said with an eyebrow raised and a small smile. “I’ll have my phone with me, call me if you need anything or if you can’t sleep.”

 

“Thank you,” she said softly.

 

“Sleep well, love,” he said coming around the bed and pressing his lips to her right cheek. 

 

After Killian left the room Emma put her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. She didn’t remember much after that. She remembered faintly hearing Killian coming back into the room and dropping the blanket over her, but nothing more. She wasn’t even sure of that part, it could have been a dream after all.

 

The next morning Emma woke up and was still feeling dizzy. She had been cold over night, since the inn was in the woods and she sleeping in a t-shirt, but now she was very hot. She opened her eyes and was met with Killian’s face, his eyes still closed. He was face to face with her, on his right side, half on his bed and half on hers, his fingers buried in her hair. She raised her head to see why she was so hot and she saw that she had not one but two blankets over her. 

 

She rose from the bed and as she moved she felt movement behind her. She turned to look at Killian and he was starting to wake up as well. He opened his eyes and looked at her with big, blue, sleepy eyes. 

 

“Morning,” he said with a smile.

 

“Morning,” she answered, her smile mirroring his.

 

“How are you feeling?” Killian asked her.

 

“Still a bit dizzy. And I’m also very hot,” she said pointing to the two blankets from her feet.

 

“Oh, about that,” Killian said, rising into a sitting position. “I woke up during the night and you were shivering. It was pretty cold and you were in that t-shirt so I decided to put another blanket on you. I hope you don’t mind.”

 

“No, no,” she said playing with one of the blankets. “Thank you.”

 

“I was thinking, if you are not feeling well, maybe we can go another day to Niagara,” Killian said tentatively.

 

Emma’s eyes went wide at his words. She didn’t want to go on another day because of a stupid headache. No, she wanted to go today, even if she would have to spend six hours in a car.

 

“No! We are going. It’s not just about me. Everyone wants to go, I’m not going to stop this trip,” Emma said, not leaving him room to contradict her.

 

“Are you sure you will be able to stay in the car for so long?”

 

“Don’t worry about me, Killian. I am going to be fine.” 

 

His eyes looked like he wanted to say more but he remained silent, just nodded and then rose from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Finally alone, Emma prepared her clothes for the day, putting a hoodie in her backpack since she didn’t know for sure how the weather would be at Niagara.

 

After that she took her phone and sat on the bed, waiting for Killian to get out so she could go in the bathroom and prepare. She had 9 new messages, all of them from Ruby.

 

**Rubes** : Take care tonight Emma! I hope your headache will pass soon *wink emoji*

 

**Rubes** : Are you asleep?

 

**Rubes** : Girl! I’ve seen Killian outside the inn. He said you are sleeping but he looked pretty worried. 

 

**Rubes** : You will kill me in the morning but I might have said something to him. About you. 

 

At that Emma made big eyes but continued to read. Worried about what her stupid friend might have said to Killian about her.

 

**Rubes** : Don’t worry, maybe he thought I was too drunk. 

 

**Rubes** : OMG EMMA I KISSED DOROTHY!

 

**Rubes** : EMMA! I’m in the bathroom now, BUT I KISSED DOROTHY!!

 

The newest messages were from an hour ago.

 

**Rubes** : Oh God Emma! I can’t wait to tell you! Oh my God! 

 

**Rubes** : By the way I can’t tell you what I told to Killian about you so don’t even try to ask. You’ll know if he says something to you. But anyway, trust me, he was pretty worried about you last night.

 

Emma typed a quick message to Ruby just as Killian was coming out of the bathroom. 

 

_ “I am going to kill you and I am going to pretend I don’t know who did it. Meet me in the garden in 15 minutes!” _ said Emma’s message. 

 

“Bathroom is free,” Killian said smiling widely as he came out of the bathroom.

 

“Wha-? Ah yes,” Emma said, looking up from her phone and rising from her place to walk the short distance to the bathroom.

 

“Everything all right?” Killian asked.

 

“Yeah! I am going to change and then go to talk to Ruby,” Emma said looking at her for any reaction. 

 

To her surprise, at the mention of Ruby’s name Killian froze and his cheeks turned pink. He tucked his head down and scratched behind his ear. 

 

“Um... Ok,” he said, although Emma felt like he wanted to say more.

 

Emma nodded as she entered bathroom. Not knowing what Ruby had told him made her nervous. From his reaction it was clear that Ruby had told him something that he maybe hadn’t wanted to hear and Emma feared the worst. And for her, the worst case scenario was that Ruby had told Killian about Emma’s feelings for him. 

 

Emma changed quickly and when she came out of the bathroom Killian was sitting on the bed in a pair of jeans, his torso naked. Emma wanted to swear at the sight but instead she bit her lower lip, put on her sneakers, took her phone and told him that she was leaving. She left the room before she could hear his answer and started to run down the hallway of the inn.

 

She found Ruby in the garden, sitting on the swing with her eyes closed and a happy smile on her face. 

 

“So,” Emma started as she got close to her friend. “What is that smile for?” 

 

She sat down on the swing next to Ruby.

 

“We kissed,” Ruby said, opening her eyes. 

 

“Yeah, you said that. What else?”

 

“We… might be together now,” Ruby said with a goofy smile. 

 

“Congratulations Ruby!” Emma said, genuinly happy for her friend. 

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said, with the same smile on her face and Emma could swear that it was the first time she had seen her friend blushing.

 

Still, Emma had one very important question on her mind, and as much as she was happy for Ruby and Dorothy she needed to know what her friend had told Killian last night.

 

“And um,” Emma started. “What exactly did you tell Killian last night?” 

 

Ruby looked at Emma with wide eyes.

 

“I forgot I’d told you that in the messages,” Ruby said, dropping her head into her hands.

 

“Yes, you did. And you also told him something. What was that, Ruby?”

 

“He didn’t tell you?” Ruby asked in surprise.

 

“No, but he froze and then blushed when I mentioned your name. So please tell me Ruby, what did you say to Killian last night?”

 

“It really doesn’t matter right now,” Ruby said, attempting to deviate from the subject.

 

“Yes Ruby, it does,” Emma snapped.

 

“I was drunk, Emma.”

 

“Still. I need to know.”

 

“I… um…” Ruby started but. “I might have told him that he’s lucky to be sharing the room with you.” 

 

Emma, who looked at her carefully as she talked, reading her, could tell that Ruby wasn’t being honest. That wasn’t what she had told him and Emma couldn’t believe that Ruby lied straight to her face.

 

“Ruby! Tell me the truth!”

 

“This is the truth!”

 

“No it’s not. Ruby, please, I need to know.”

 

“Morning!” A happy voice came from behind and Emma let out an annoyed sound while Ruby sighed in relief. 

 

They both looked at Mary Margaret and Emma forced herself to smile at her friend. Behind her were David, Robin, Regina, and Dorothy. Dorothy came to sit between Emma and Ruby on the swing while the other two couples sat at the table in front.

 

“No Killian?” Dorothy said looking at Emma. 

 

Emma simply shook her shoulders at Dorothy’s question. She realized that Killian might still be in the room, and if she was honest she was wondering why he hadn’t come out yet. 

 

“Are you ready for a trip to Niagara Falls?” Mary Margaret asked excitably. 

 

Everyone but Emma grumbled.

 

“How are you feeling Emma?” David asked her, and Mary Margaret hit him in the stomach with her shoulder for ignoring her question. 

 

“I’m fine. My head still hurts a little, and yes, to what Mary Margaret said,” Emma answered to the both of them.

 

“Are you going to be okay in the car till we get to the waterfall?” Mary Margaret asked.

 

“Why are you all asking me that this morning?” Emma said, remembering the fact that Killian had asked her the same thing earlier.

 

“Might be because Jones was so worried about you, last night,” Regina said.

 

“What?”

 

“When we came back from the pub Killian was on that exact swing, worrying about you,” Robin explained, pointing the swing she Dorothy and Ruby were sharing.

 

“It was just a headache!” 

 

“That made Killian worried, yes,” Regina said.

 

Emma started to hate the whole conversation. She didn’t understand why Killian was so worried about her last night and also she was still mad at Ruby for not telling her what she had said to him. She wondered if the others knew what she’d said and if she could bribe one of them to tell her. But deciding that she needed a change of subject she started to talk about the trip, knowing very well that it would catch Mary Margaret’s attention.

 

“When do you want to leave?” Emma asked, and when they looked at her in confusion rolled her eyes and explained. “When do you want to leave for the waterfall? Now or later.”

 

“We were thinking about now if you are feeling well enough,” Mary Margaret said.

 

“I’m fine. I will go back in the room for a minute to fetch my backpack and then we can go,” Emma said as she rose from the swing.

 

“You can fetch your boyfriend as well,” Emma heard Regina behind her and when she  turned to look at Regina, she fixed her with a glare that could scare anyone.

 

Emma started to walk towards the entrance of the inn without really paying attention to what was going on around her. Her mind was full of thoughts that were jumping from one subject to another and yet all of them were spinning around a single person: Killian Jones. And just as his image was coming into her mind, Emma bumped into something hard. Or more like someone. Strong arms caught her to not let her fall and when she raised her head to thank to the person she was met with Killian’s blue eyes. 

 

“Shit. Sorry,” she said, steadying herself with his help.

 

“Where were you going?”

 

“Back to the room to fetch my backpack since Mary Margaret said we could leave now,” Emma explained. 

 

“This backpack?” Killian said, raising a hand that was holding her red backpack and smiling. “I thought that I could do you a favor and bring it to you since you left without a word earlier.” 

 

Emma took the backpack from his hand with a ‘thank you’ and then started to walk back towards the swing where she had left their friends, but Killian stopped her by putting a hand on her arm.

 

“Emma are you okay?” he asked with narrowed eyes. 

 

“Yes, why are you asking?” 

 

“I don’t know, you seem a bit.. off.”

 

Of course she was off. First she’d had to share a room with her crush, then her best friend had told her crush something and refused to tell her what, then she’d found out that her crush had been worried about her the night before just because she had a stupid headache. Of course she was feeling a bit off!

 

“I’m fine, Killian,” she said, and without another word she started to walk knowing that he would follow her.

 

Emma and Killian returned to their group and everyone started to make plans for the day and their trip to the waterfall. The boys were hungry and wanted to have breakfast first but Mary Margaret, Regina and Ruby convinced them that they would be able to stop on the road for sandwiches and coffee. Emma didn’t really care about their conversation for the moment so she stayed away, sitting with Dorothy on the swing in silence and watching the others. That is, of course, until Dorothy started to talk. 

 

“You know, Ruby and I are together now,” Dorothy said out of the blue.

 

“I heard. Congratulations!” Emma said with a smile. 

 

“You are upset with her,” Dorothy quickly changed the subject.

 

“How do you know?”

 

“I had to drag her away before she said too much to Killian about you last night,” Dorothy whispered. 

 

Emma’s eyes widened at her words. She knew something. Maybe Dorothy could tell her. 

 

“What did she say to him?” Emma asked tentatively.

 

“It’s really not my place, Emma. Ruby or Killian should tell you.”

 

“Yeah, but Ruby won’t do it.”

 

“And neither will Killian,” Dorothy completed.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Trust me, Emma. It was nothing bad. But I guess you have every right to be a little upset. She’s your best friend after all,” Dorothy said, and Emma was glad that she understood. “Just, don’t be upset for too long, okay? Ruby loves you.”

 

Emma knew Ruby loved her and she loved Ruby just as much, but this time she felt Ruby had really crossed a line, first last night with Killian and then again this morning with Emma. It was Emma’s right to know what Ruby had told him about her and Ruby had refused to do that. Emma knew she wasn’t going to be upset for long, the two of them were friends for too long to stay upset with each other for more than a few hours, but at least for today she planned to teach Ruby a lesson.

 

As Emma and Dorothy finished talking, the others finished organising the program for the day. They planned to drive straight to Niagara and if there were other “must see” points on the way, they could go back to them later in the week since the drive to the waterfall was already too long and especially since they still had a week to spend there. 

 

So they all jumped in the car, Killian sat in the driver’s seat and Emma in the back, glued to the window so she would be left alone. She was still half upset and half confused because of many things, so she decided to put on her headphones and start up her music. She wasn’t worried about what the others thought since they had known her for some time and they knew they should stay away when she needed space. Right now was definitely one of those moments where she really needed some space. So with the headphones in her ears and Wonder Woman’s soundtrack playing to the maximum volume, she lay her head against the window and closed her eyes. 

 

She woke up hours later with Mary Margaret shaking her shoulders, opening her eyes to see that the car’s door was open and the rest of the car was empty.

 

“Wake up, honey,” Mary Margaret said,smiling.

 

“Where are we?” Emma asked, feeling the fresh air from outside hitting her face.

 

“We arrived,” Mary Margaret said and when Emma looked surprised she started to laugh. “You slept the whole time we drove here.”

 

“Well, that explains why it felt like I slept for 12 hours,” she said and it was the truth. Emma’s  head had stopped hurting and she felt better and more relaxed than she had that morning. 

 

“Yeah,” Mary Margaret smiled at her. “Come on. The others are waiting for us.”

 

Emma took her backpack and exited the car. She could hear the falling of the water from the parking lot and if she tried she could even see the waterfall. She inhaled the fresh air that was surrounding them and started to walk with Mary Margaret towards the queue where the others were waiting.

 

“There you are!” David said.

 

“Good, Sleeping Beauty is finally awake,” Regina commented, but she was smiling at Emma. 

 

She decided to ignore them and sat in the queue, waiting to go and see the waterfall. 

 

A few minutes later they were watching the waterfall and were taking pictures from every possible angle. Emma normally hated being the one in front of a camera for pictures, but she had wanted to visit the waterfall since she was a child so today she was prepared to make an exception. She took picture after picture with the waterfall, selfies with the others, group pictures with everyone. She even took a selfie with just Killian. At one point Killian asked her if she wanted some photos of just her and the waterfall and Emma couldn’t say no, so she was Killian’s model as he took a few pictures of her in front of the waterfall. She was feeling great and loved every second spent there. 

 

Many, many pictures later the couples decided that they were hungry and that they wanted to go for lunch. Emma refused to go with them since they asked if they could have a date of their own (apparently since there were three couples now that Ruby and Dorothy were together, they had to celebrate!) so she went to explore the surroundings on her own. 

 

Emma found an empty corner away from people’s eyes with a bench, so she stayed there and started to take Tumblr-ish pictures of the waterfall.

 

“I should have know you were going to find an empty place even here,” a voice said behind her, scaring her and making her to almost drop the camera.

 

She turned to find Killian with his phone in the hand, smiling at her.

 

“How did you find me?” she asked, surprised. She hadn’t told him where she was going and she didn’t know where he was going to be while the others were having lunch

 

“Lucky guess,” he said raising his shoulders and taking a few steps forward. “May I?” he asked, pointing to the bench.

 

“Sure,” she said turning her back to him to take a few more pictures.

 

“Can I ask you something, Emma?” Killian said as he sat down on the bench.

 

Emma stood up taller as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

 

“Um… it depends on what you want to ask?” she saidm feeling unsure of herself.

 

“Why are you angry with Ruby?” 

 

Her shoulders dropped at his question. “I’m not angry, Just a little… upset.”

 

“You didn’t talk to her too much today. Aside for some pictures earlier,” he pointed out.

 

“She did something that upset me.”

 

“Is this about what she told me last night?” he asked directly, not even trying to be subtle.

 

“I don’t know what she told you. She won’t tell me,” Emma admitted.

 

“Oh…” he said dropping his chin to his chest and looking at the water.

 

“Killian. What did she say?” Emma asked him, certain that he would tell her the truth and wouldn’t try to lie. 

 

“She…” he started, but stopped, standing up and coming closer to her. “Ruby said to take care of you and your heart or else she will kill me.”

 

“I’m going to be the one that is going to kill her,” Emma murmured, but she knew Killian heard her anyway.

 

“Emma, what did she mean by that?”

 

“Nothing,” Emma said quickly. “You know Ruby when she’s drunk. She says stupid things,” 

 

Emma tried to stay calm, but she couldn’t stop the need to run that came over her.

 

“Would a stupid thing affect you so much?” Killian said, stretching out a hand and moving a few strands of hair from her shoulders,“Tell me.”

 

“May I ask you something as well?” Emma asked, trying to buy herself some time. She knew very well what Ruby wanted to say with what she told him, but Emma wasn’t prepared to tell him the truth.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Why did you want to share a room with me?”

 

“Because we are friends. And I didn’t want to leave you on your own,” he said, but Emma could see in his eyes that there was more to it than that.

 

“Who is the girl you like?” she asked, unable to stop the words. She wanted to curse herself when she saw all the way his faced drained of color until it was almost white.

 

“What?” He asked, not sure of himself.

 

“I heard you, more than once, talking with the guys about a girl you are in love with.”

 

“Emma.”

 

“Tell me, Killian, and I will tell you what Ruby meant by what she said.”

 

Killian took a deep breath and then looked into her eyes as he started to talk.

 

“There is this girl that mesmerised me. Her eyes, her hair, her body, her personality, everything about her made me fall in love with her from the first moment I laid eyes on her. She’s holding my heart as we speak and it would be amazing if she knew that”

 

The sincerity in his voice made her want to cry. He was truly in love with this girl, it was obvious to anyone from the way he talked about her. And although Emma was in love with him, she couldn’t help but be happy that he was happy. She just wanted to know who the lucky girl was that had Killian’s heart.

 

“Do I know her?” Emma asked with a trembling voice.

 

“Yes, you all know her,” Killian answered, indicating that their whole group knew that girl.

 

Different names started to appear in her mind, from Elsa and her sister Anna to Tink from their History class who Emma had seen flirting with Killian, or maybe Tania or Alice from Granny’s. Or maybe it was Milah? The art professor everyone seemed to have a small crush on. 

 

“What’s her name, Killian?” Emma asked, unable to relax until she knew. 

 

“Do you really want me to tell you?”

 

“Yes, please.”

 

“I don’t know if you are ready to hear it.”

 

“You might be right, but I want to know who’s the lucky girl.”

 

“Emma Swan,” Killian answered, looking straight into her eyes.

 

“What?” Emma felt all her blood drop into her legs at the sound of her name.

 

“Emma Swan is her name,” Killian said, moving a hand to her shoulder and then to her cheek and Emma couldn’t talk. “I fell in love with you, Emma. I loved you for a very long time but I couldn’t tell you, because I was afraid that you wouldn’t see me as more than your best friend. But when Ruby told me those things last night, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, it might not be one sided.”.

 

“It’s not,” she managed having found the power to form real words at last.

 

“It’s not?” he asked, something shining in his eyes.

 

“No. I was so afraid to tell you,” Emma admitted finally having found the courage to tell him how she really felt for him.

 

To her surprise, Killian started to laugh. At the sound of his laugh Emma’s heart dropped. What was happening? Why was he laughing? She just admitted that she had the same feelings he had, and he was laughing at her.

 

“We are two idiots,” he finally said after he stopped laughing. 

 

“That we are,” Emma said, as understanding dawned.

 

They were indeed two idiots. They were in love with each other for so long and yet, none of them said anything because they were afraid they will lose each other. 

 

“May I kiss you, Emma?” Killian asked her,

 

Emma couldn’t form words. After all this time she was finally going to kiss Killian Jones. She just nodded, and put a hand on Killian’s cheek. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and his lips were barely there. Emma knew that he was waiting to see if she was a hundred percent sure so she moved her other hand in his hair and pressed her lips harder to his. 

 

It wasn’t like any other kiss she had in her life. It was gentle at first but it became harder and more intense with every second that passed. His tongue moved across her lower lip, asking for permission and with a soft sigh she let him in. They continued to kiss, their hands moving over each others bodies until they were out of breath and they had to separate, but they didn’t put much distance between them. Emma’s hands moved around his neck while both of his hands were on her hips, their foreheads pressed together as they tried to catch their breath.

 

“Do you still want to change the rooms?” Killian asked with a smile on his face.

 

“I think I am good right now. Who else is going to wrap me in blankets when I sleep in that t-shirt?” Emma teased him.

 

“That t-shirt is really sinful, Emma, I have to admit.”

 

“Excuse me, I wasn’t planning on sleeping with you on this trip,” Emma said laughing.

 

“Oh?” 

 

At his reaction Emma realised what she said and how it sounded in that context and she felt as though she was turning as red as a tomato.

 

“I didn’t mean it like that!” 

 

Killian didn’t say anything, just laughed at her and then went in for another long kiss. 

 

Their friends found them much later, still sitting together on the bench watching the waterfall and taking stupid selfies. Emma and Killian didn’t know their friends were watching them, nor did they know about the money everyone passed to Ruby.

 

Later they would discover that Ruby hadn’t really been all that drunk that night, and all she had done was to give Killian, and later Emma, a little push to admit their real feelings. 

 

And of course Emma hadn’t planned on sleeping with Killian - not like that - but she did anyway on more than one occasion. Yes, like that!


End file.
